The Ducati sporting director returned to the challenges of the 2018 season and took stock of them for speedweek.
For the second consecutive year, Ducati finished in second position in the Championship with Andrea Dovizioso, however the conditions were not the same as in 2017. The title was in fact decided during the very last race of the season and only 37 points ultimately separated the Italian from Marc Márquez, compared to 76 this year.
Paolo ciabatti, the sporting director of Ducati, is therefore very objective about the season which has just ended but nevertheless gives a positive assessment: “We know we made mistakes this year. There were a few races at the start of the season where we fell short of our own expectations and this was complemented by a few crashes. So we lost our chance to fight for the title until the last race, like the previous year. 2018 nevertheless remains Ducati's second best season after 2017 with thirteen podiums, five second places, three third positions and five pole positions (including Jack Miller and Danilo Petrucci who also ride on Ducati). We also finished second in the drivers' and constructors' standings and we're quite happy with that. »
One of the highlights of this year remains Jorge Lorenzo's first victory at Mugello, after a very complicated year and a half and a catastrophic start to the season leading to separation of driver and team. A choice strongly criticized at the time of this victory: “I'm happy that Jorge was able to win even though, ironically, he did it for the first time at Mugello, exactly when we officially decided to part ways. Sometimes, unfortunately, this happens. However, we remain happy with the performance of our machine, even if we have to continue development. »
